Dolls have many uses, such as play toys for children, prizes at amusement parks, figures at religious ceremonies, mannequins in department stores, decoration in homes and businesses, anatomically correct figures to train doctors and nurses, collectors' items and other uses.
A doll, such as in the form of a full-sized mannequin or smaller children's toy, will include a doll head. The doll head typically possesses features of a human or animal. Often, however, the facial features of the doll head are static and immobile. That is, the facial expression of the doll head is invariable and cannot readily change to express joy, surprise, amazement, confusion, anger, fear and other emotions. Such static doll head designs rarely retain the user's interest.
In an effort to retain the user's interest, some doll head designs have interchangeable parts, such as hair and lips, so as to change the appearance of the doll head. However, these interchangeable parts are cumbersome and time-consuming to deploy because the parts must first be removed and then exchanged with other parts.
In addition, some prior art doll head designs do not suitably exhibit life-like attributes, such as realistic eye movement. For example, in the case of some children's dolls, the entire doll must be moved in order for the doll to move its eyes between an open position and a closed position. That is, in the case of some children's dolls, the entire doll must be moved to a reclined position for the doll's eyes to fully close and moved to an upright position for the doll's eyes to fully open. Thus, such a child's doll depends on gravity to move both eyes of the doll between the open and closed positions. In addition, such a doll head cannot laterally move its eyes from side-to-side to simulate following an object or person moving, for example, across a room. Absence of emotion and life-like movement detract from the user's enjoyment of the doll.
Moreover, such prior art dolls lack independently operable facial features. For example, in the case of the previously mentioned child's doll, the doll's eyes are not independently movable because they open and close together. In this case, the doll's eyes do not move independently to simulate, for example, winking. In addition, such dolls lack an ability to dynamically contort or change a region of the doll's face independently of another region of the doll's face to simulate, for example, a smile or frown.
Attempts have been made to provide dolls with life-like features. For example, a full size, fully articulated doll with selectively displayed alternative faces in the form of an adult human female is provided in the prior art. The alternative faces are provided by exchanging face masks or heads. A flexible resilient material inclusive of silicone rubber is used for simulated skin for the face. The alternatively selected faces enable variation of appearance inclusive of both expression and genotype. However, the expression evinced by each selected face mask or head is static and, thus, immobile.
Another attempt provides a doll form that includes a body and head in the general shape of a human or animal. The head includes a facial portion comprised of a first support having a receiving surface for receiving a face member. The face member is made of a second support having a transfer surface for transfer of facial features having the likeness of a particular person or animal. The face member can be removed and changed with another face member having different facial features. Other exchangeable accessories, including hair and clothing, are used to customize the doll to become anyone so desired. However, the expression of each face member is static and, thus, immobile.
According to another approach, a doll head with replaceable features is provided, wherein the head has a mouth recess in which a pair of lips is inserted. A magnet, which is secured to the back wall of the recess, magnetically grips a ferro-magnetic plate bonded or otherwise secured to the rear of the pair of lips. Replaceable ears, wigs, eyebrows, eyes and noses may be held in place on the doll head by a magnet secured to the inner surfaces of the wall of the doll's face at several socket locations. Although this approach discloses use of magnets, changes in the doll's facial expression is apparently only achieved by replacing lips, ears, wigs, eyebrows, eyes and noses. Thus, after these components are replaced, the doll's facial expression remains static and, thus, immobile.
According to yet another approach, a doll's eye is provided with magnetic means for opening and closing of the doll's eye. In this regard, a simulated doll's eye is pivotally arranged on a horizontal axis within a housing, the housing being accommodated within a doll's head. The eye carries a magnet, the magnetic axis being perpendicular to a pivot axis so that a separate control magnet can cause eye movement. The control magnet may be an external permanent magnet or an internal solenoid. However, this approach apparently only controls eye movement and does not address magnetically controlling movement of facial features. Thus, although the doll's eye movement is controlled by use of a magnet, the doll's facial expression remains static and, thus, immobile.